God, I’m sitting in a deep well a grief. I hear the noise and movement from life outside of the painful bubble in which I currently abide. I wish that I could be with those carrying on the everyday-ness of life. But right now, God, it’s you and me in this space of mourning. Far… Read More
Monday Prayer
Precious Holy Hear our prayers For those taking Sabbath, we pray For those working through, we pray For those seeking answers, we pray For those creating questions, we pray For those journeying, we pray For those arriving, we pray For those who need to simply be, we pray For those who need to get up… Read More
Sunday Prayer
Understanding One, In these moments, our hearts and minds are tuned to your Spirit, Guiding, Chiding, Holding, and Nudging us to peel back the layers of surfaces that keep us from your Truth. Peeling back all that protects us, our perceptions, our identities, our accomplishments, even our fears to expose the bare tender skin of… Read More
Saturday Prayer: For Our Churches
God, I pray this morning for my church. I know I’m not supposed to call it that. “My” church. Because it’s not mine. Not really. It is your church. And for that I am grateful. But it feels like mine, too. My hope. My pain. My joy. My energy. My love. My people. I… Read More
Friday Festival: Something in My Eye
For a handful of years, Grey’s Anatomy was my go-to television show for getting a good cry each week. Then an episode hit too close to home (I don’t remember why), and I had to find a new crying outlet. They’re easy to come by: a home renovation episode, the ending of any three Toy… Read More
Friday Prayer: What Do You Want?
Dear God- I am well aware of how you spoke to Job. I know the words of your Son. i have listened to your prophets and I have listened to those who have pimped the name of the Christ. All that being said, I’m still frustrated. I’m still crying. I’m still fist-shaking, gasping, head-scratching, foot-stomping,… Read More
Thursday Prayer
I told someone the other day that you have this way of moving. Of moving us. I told them about how you see us over here. And want us to go over there. So you shift your weight and lug us heavy-headed ones along. Sometimes you toss something sparkly out front to make us look.… Read More
Ask the Matriarch: BFP Best Practices, Social Media Edition
This week’s Matriarch Mail brings us another BFP question. A Beloved Former Pastor, having ended (officially) serving a congregation through retirement or by accepting a call to a new congregation, continues to be a presence within and around the congregation or with some/most/all of their should-be-former congregants. A BFP continues to benevolently provide goodies without the… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: All I Really Need to Know (About Pastoring) I Learned from my Cat
Robert Fulghum may have learned all he needed to know in Kindergarten, but honestly, I can’t remember back that far. My education is much more recent . . . and furry. Is it possible that all we really need to know about being pastors we can learn from our cats? Assuming you are the cat… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Forgiveness
Like bulky orange barrels along a construction zone, there are red flags and caution tape that catch my attention as I read this week’s Revised Common Lectionary texts: 1. Forgiveness (Genesis 50:15-21 and Matthew 18:21-35) is a theme that can tempt us preachers toward unhelpful generalizations about injury and reparation. Caution: Check whether your definition of forgiveness,… Read More
